His Lucky Charm
by WriterFreak001
Summary: It's finally time for Walter O'Brien to present his jet propulsion theory to the board of the Karman Line Prize, and for the first time in his life, he's nervous as hell. But somehow, after a short conversation with Ralph and a little pep talk from Paige (among other things), Walter regains his confidence before he steps onto the stage.
1. Chapter 1

**WriterFreak001:**

This idea came to me randomly so I thought I'd write it out and share it.

* * *

 **Title** | His Lucky Charm

 **Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

 **Description** | It's finally time for Walter O'Brien to present his jet propulsion theory to the board of the Karman Line Prize, and for the first time in his life, he's nervous as hell. But somehow, after a short conversation with Ralph and a little pep talk from Paige (among other things), Walter regains his confidence before he steps onto the stage.

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for romantic themes. Enough said.

 **POV** | Omniscient Third Person

 **Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_ , I am the owner of this masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

 **His Lucky Charm**

 **Written by WriterFreak001**

 **Chapter 1**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

Walter stood backstage of the De Neve Commons Lecture Auditorium at UCLA and stared at the rocket he had spent many months building and remodifying. Though the rocket in all its glory was right in front of him, he had a hard time believing it was finished and ready to be presented to the executive board – including the anonymous benefactor – of the Kármán Line Prize. Five great minds of aerospace development were sitting within the audience, and two of them, from what Walter had heard, were former engineers for NASA. He hoped (really, _really_ hoped) his past history with NASA wouldn't come back to haunt him; the last thing Walter O'Brien needed was for someone to remember his name from the time he had stolen blueprints from NASA. And if someone did, he sincerely hoped they wouldn't call him out on it.

The contestant before him didn't stand a chance in the competition; his theory wasn't sound, and it, based on a quick analysis of a partial demonstration – was completely flawed. He didn't even seem to know what he was talking about. Walter assumed he was nothing more than a gold digger wanting the monetary reward. (Though, while money was a big incentive on Walter's part, he actually enjoyed the thrill of improving jet propulsion of aerospace development.)

Walter spun around as a pair of feet scuttled toward him, ready to protect his rocket if needed, but stilled his protective stance as an excited Ralph and a smiling Paige approached him. Ralph stopped short of the rocket and beamed. "Hi Walter."

"Hey!" Walter bent down and gave Ralph two high fives before sharing a quick look with the boy's mother as he rose to his feet. "What are you two doing back here?"

"Ralph wanted to see the rocket first hand before you share it with the rest of the world," Paige laughed as she came up behind her son and draped her arms over his shoulders. "I didn't think you'd mind."

"No, not at all." Walter grinned and then dropped back down to the boy's level. "Better yet," Walter straightened Ralph's dark blue tie and smoothed out the boy's black sports coat collar, "how would you like to help me wheel this thing," he pointed to the rocket, "onto the stage when it's time for my demonstration? In fact… I'd like you to be my assistant. Would you like that?"

"Really?!" Ralph's eyebrows lifted, and he immediately bent his neck back and looked at his mom. "Can I, Mom?!"

Paige, who was trying so hard not to cry (as she swore to herself she wouldn't), smiled and combed her manicured fingers through her son's hair. "Of course, baby. I think that would be great."

"Wow! Cool!" Ralph exclaimed in a loud whisper and then smiled ear to ear. "Can I inspect the rocket, Walter?"

"Sure, buddy." Walter nodded and stepped aside from the table. "Just… keep your hands away so you don't accidentally touch it before the presentation."

"Okay. I will." Ralph said as he shoved his hands into his pockets and bristly walked over to the rocket.

Walter chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm and turned to find a smiling Paige strolling up to him. "You know," she locked in on his eyes and stopped a few inches in front of him, "letting Ralph help you with your presentation just made his entire day." She glanced over at her son and added with an appreciative smile: "That was very sweet of you."

"Oh, well, uh, you know," Walter shrugged with a small smirk, "I figured it was the least I could do for him helping me with the rocket while I was recovering from my accident."

"Still," Paige curled her fingers around the loops of his bow-tie and straightened it, "I know you, Walter O'Brien. You wouldn't have needed Ralph's help at all, but you asked him anyway, and _that_ ," she smoothed down his collar, "was very thoughtful and generous and," she inched closer, "very, _very_ considerate."

"I was, uh," Walter swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down towards her fingertips, "um, well, I thought he'd like it."

"Oh, he will," Paige glided her hands along the middle of his sports coat and stopped at the buttons. "You forgot one," she giggled warmly as she slowly looped the button hole around the golden button. "There."

"Th-thanks." Walter ignored the shivers running up his spine as she continued smoothing out the folds along his jacket. He was slightly disappointed they weren't in the loft doing things in reverse. To have her soft hands running over his torso while fully clothed was doing crazy things to his insides; he was sure some of his dreams started out this way. Little did _he_ know, the woman sweetly torturing him was having similar fantasies running though her mind.

And when she dropped her hands to her side, their reveries ended.

"I, uh, I should be getting back to my seat," Paige threw her thumb behind her and pointed to the door but didn't move an inch. "The guy who's talking sounds like he might be almost done."

"Where are you sitting?" Walter asked, making a note to look in her direction every once in a while.

"Oh, um, close to the front… third row, center, I think." Paige took a second to dig through her purse and search for her ticket. "Yep!" She waved it in the air. "C53."

"And the rest of the Cyclone?" Walter really didn't care where the others were sitting, but he asked anyway. Perhaps it was because he didn't want her to think he was only thinking of her. Or, perhaps he wanted her to think he was being considerate of the others and not _just_ her. He didn't exactly know. The question was out before he could stop himself.

"Oh, um," Paige secured her purse over her shoulder and bit her lip, "Unfortunately, the rest of the team got called in for a case right as we were leaving so Ralph and I volunteered to represent everyone. They wish you good luck… er science… or whatever."

"Oh," Walter wasn't too terribly upset, "That's too bad."

"At least that's four less people you'd have to worry about," Paige shrugged with a smile.

"Why would I have to worry about anybody?" Walter blinked.

"You may be a genius, Mr. O'Brien," Paige playfully poked him in the chest, "but even a great mind like you would get nervous at a big event like this."

"I'm n-not nervous." Walter pursed his lips to hide the fact that he was, in fact, _extremely_ nervous.

"Oh?" Paige cocked a brow and folded her arms in front of her. She smiled. "Is that so?"

Walter thought about the ways he could spin his façade and feign courage (which he was usually pretty good at), but he found it was pretty pointless around Paige. She, in many strange ways, knew him like a book. "Okay. Fine. I'm slightly nervous."

"I knew it," Paige laughed melodiously and tried summoning her inner Toby. "And what about the presentation makes you _slightly_ nervous, Walter?" She was tempted to touch him… to console him somehow, but she settled for the closeness between them. Walter, however, wished she _had_ touched him (but he didn't have to tell her that). As awkward as he felt under her touch, she had a unique way of calming him.

"I don't know," Walter shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged, taking a step away from Paige. "Perhaps it's the ramifications if I don't win."

"If you don't win, Walter," Paige caught his hand in hers to keep him from walking away from her, "nothing changes. While you won't be gaining anything other than the fun times you had building your rocket, you won't be losing things either." She gently squeezed his fingers, "You can only go forward."

Walter inhaled a deep breath and released it slowly as he raked his hand through his curly hair. "I guess you're right. But," he paused and glanced towards the dark, thick curtains, "not winning isn't the only thing I'm anxious about." Paige stayed quiet, and he took her silence as permission to continue. "I'm, uh, I'm presenting in front of five important people, and they will be scattered among the audience. I won't know who they are nor where they'll be sitting. I don't like unknown variables. Not being in control of the situation… not knowing who to impress… is frustrating."

"Then don't impress them," Paige spoke quietly as she dropped his hand and latched her palms behind his neck, drawing him closer to her.

"I'm… not following," Walter composed himself and tried not to think about the things he wanted to do to close the small distance between them. The way her fingers twisted through his hair and how her warm breath tickled the short hairs of his chin did not go unnoticed. Walter inhaled a slow, deep breath as he waited for the beautiful woman in front of him to elaborate.

A sweet smile painted her lips as her palms found his cheeks. "Forget about the judges and focus on what you _do_ know." Her thumbs smoothed over the skin underneath his eyes, and she secretly enjoyed the sort of power she held over Walter O'Brien – especially when she teased him. When he didn't say anything, she continued. "You _know_ your presentation; I've seen you practice it in front of the team and in front of Ralph. You know it backwards and forwards. You _also_ know where I'm going to be sitting in the audience. So, focus on _me_." she paused and moved dangerously closer to Walter until she could feel his breath brush against her skin, "Act as though you are giving me your presentation for the first time. Don't worry about anybody else out there. Just," she bit her lip and met his dark brown eyes, "focus on talking to me." She smiled. "In _that_ scenario, there are no unknown factors. The more you focus everything on what you know, the more control you will have and the less frustration you'll face."

"I think," Walter cleared his throat, "I think I can manage to, um, to do that."

"Good," Paige grinned ear to ear and playfully smacked his cheek before springing away from him towards her son. Walter took a second to compose himself, secretly wishing she didn't have to leave so soon, and little did he know, she didn't want to leave either. "Now," Paige bent down to the floor and cupped her son's cheeks, "do exactly what Walter tells you to do. Mommy's gotta go sit down now so behave for me. Okay?"

Ralph nodded. "Okay."

"Good." Paige mumbled before kissing her son's forehead. "I'll be out in the audience, and when the presentation is done, Ralph, I want you to stay with Walter wherever he goes. Are we clear?"

"Okay, Mom." Ralph answered quietly. She poked his nose and kissed his forehead one more time before giving him a short, sweet hug. She could have sworn her son reciprocated her hug, but the movement he made was so quick that she decided to dismiss it.

Paige rose to her feet and wheeled backwards towards Walter. "I know you've made it pretty clear you don't believe in luck, but…," she bravely stepped up onto her tiptoes and pressed a light kiss to the man's cheek. He froze, and she smiled. "Good luck anyway, Walter." She straightened his bow-tie again, cupped his cheek and winked, "Now go rock it, Rocket boy."

Before Walter could find the will to move or say something, she spun around and swaggered her way out the door. Once his name was announced to the audience, he shook himself out of his reverie and swiftly made his way to his rocket with a big smile spreading across his face.

Walter O'Brien might not believe in the power of luck or good fortune, but he did have faith in one thing: Paige.

And she gave him all the luck in the world.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

Don't worry, I plan on giving this puppy a follow-up chapter! :)

Let me know what you think.


	2. Chapter 2

**WriterFreak001:**

And here's the second part! :)

* * *

 **Title** | His Lucky Charm

 **Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

 **Description** | It's finally time for Walter O'Brien to present his jet propulsion theory to the board of the Karman Line Prize, and for the first time in his life, he's nervous as hell. But somehow, after a short conversation with Ralph and a little pep talk from Paige (among other things), Walter regains his confidence before he steps onto the stage.

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for romantic themes. Enough said.

 **POV** | Omniscient Third Person

 **Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_ , I am the owner of this masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

 **His Lucky Charm**

 **Written by WriterFreak001**

 **Chapter 2**

 **~ S** **CORPION ~**

Paige had faith in Walter and knew he would present his jet propulsion theory to the audience flawlessly. She was sitting in the audience with a wide smile beaming from her lips as she watched Walter and her son move about the stage and demonstrate everything Walter had been preparing for in the last few months. Ralph did exactly as he was told as Walter explained his system; some people even laughed after Ralph had answered a few of Walter's questions as if he was a participating audience member. Paige fell in love with the way the two interacted in front of everyone and to think that her baby was on stage in front of a lot of important people made her a very proud mama. Even though she didn't understand a single thing her two favorite geniuses were saying, she thoroughly enjoyed watching Walter and Ralph present everything.

Every once in a while, Walter would steal glances with her, and she'd smile as wide as she could to assure him he was doing well. She knew _he_ knew what he was talking about so she didn't have to worry about him not knowing what to do or to say; she just wanted to be sure he connected with the audience. Any scientist could stand up there and spell out theories and hypotheses, but what Walter needed to solidify his presentation was something to stand out – and Paige believed if he showed he could connect with the audience (by looking at her every so often), he would make a very strong impression. (At least, she hoped so).

And when he was done, he thanked everyone for their time and presence and then instructed Ralph to help him wheel his rocket off of the stage. Paige – not very discreetly – rose to her feet and exited the auditorium to find her two boys. As expected, they were still backstage with Walter's rocket. She strolled up to them and grinned. "See? I told you you'd do great."

Walter chuckled and scratched the back of his head as Ralph ran up to his mother with a big smile on his face. "Did you see me, Mom?!"

"Shush," Paige touched her index finger to her lips, "there's another presentation going on, honey."

Ralph instantly lowered his voice. "Sorry."

"It's okay, sweetie." Paige ran her fingers through her son's hair and grew warm when she felt Walter standing directly behind her. She was grateful for her son's distraction when he asked his question again in a much quieter voice. "Mom, did you see me on stage? People liked it when I explained parts of Walter's theory on jet propulsion."

"I did," Paige dropped to her knees and kissed her son's forehead. "You were _very_ professional. I'm so proud of you, baby." Paige pulled him in for a quick hug and poked his nose. "After they announce the winner, we'll go out for ice cream."

Ralph's eyebrows lifted. "Scoop?"

"Scoop." Paige laughed, gave her son another fast hug and then released him from her mama bear hug; he immediately dug his hand into her purse and pulled out his Nintendo 3DS before racing off to a chair in the far corner to play one of his games. Paige rolled her eyes and giggled at her son as Walter circled around her and extended his hand to help her stand up. "Why, thank you," Paige muttered as she touched her palm to his; he pulled her up to her feet effortlessly. She began to wonder just how much muscle was actually hiding underneath those long sleeves Walter was always wearing. (She hoped she would someday find out.)

"No problem," Walter grinned and mindlessly squeezed her hand with no intentions of letting go. Paige's heart fluttered, and she gazed into his coffee-colored eyes as he brought her palm to his lips and lightly kissed the smooth skin below her thumb. Something Walter O'Brien had never done before. She did her best to hide her exaltations of joy as every cell in her body danced and tingled like mini fireworks bursting beneath her skin. "I, uh," Walter lowered their conjoined hands and eagerly grabbed her other palm, holding both of her hands within the space between them. _Another_ thing Walter had never done to her before – not willingly, at least. "I should be the one thanking you, Paige."

"What for?" Paige let out a melodious laugh and shook her head. "All I did was sit in the audience and listen to you speak."

Walter swallowed the lump in his throat and focused on the words he wanted to say to the woman in front of him. He took a second to stare at their hands before finding her fluttering eyes again. "Because of you," he grinned, "I was, uh, I was able to maintain my concentration."

"Oh please," Paige lightly smacked his arm, "you could have done that presentation in your sleep."

"Maybe, but," Walter chuckled, "I, um, I don't think I could have pulled it off without you…." Paige bashfully smiled and curled a loose strand of hair behind her ear, and he continued. "Just, uh, just knowing you were there… in the back of my mind… helped my performance substantially. You were right before. Having a small sense of control granted me a successful demonstration, and, um, well, because of that, I…," he unknowingly squeezed her hand again, "um, I'm very grateful."

"You're welcome, Walter." Paige grinned as her heart pounded against her chest. She was sure the entire auditorium could hear the explosions popping inside her body. Hearing Walter O'Brien openly verbalize his appreciation of her efforts always seemed to make her blood bubble with so much happiness. Little did she know, Walter secretly liked making Paige feel appreciated because he enjoyed seeing the beautiful smile that always followed. "I'm glad I could help."

She did _way_ more than just 'help,' in Walter's opinion, but he decided to keep that little piece of opinion to himself. "So, um," Walter reluctantly released her hand and shoved his hands into his pockets, "I believe there were only two other contestants after my presentation so, given that each contestant averages 20 minutes per demonstration, I predict that the announcement for the winner will be addressed in an hour. Is there, uh, something you want to do while you wait?"

Paige peered over the man's shoulder and glanced at his rocket. "What about you? Can you leave your rocket for too long?"

"Probably not…," Walter ran his hand through his curls. "I can hang back here while you and Ralph go do whatever you want while you wait."

Paige laughed and reached for the man's hand again. She laced her fingers with his and tugged him towards a row of seats not too far from where Ralph was sitting. "I'd rather stay here and wait with you," Paige rested their hands in her lap after sitting down and flashed Walter a small smile. "Ralph's content playing his 3DS, and I enjoy talking to you, Walter. There's no other place we'd rather be right now."

Walter, more flattered than he'd care to admit, wasn't sure how to reply to the woman's response. Feelings – _good_ feelings – he couldn't interpret swirled inside of him, causing him to grin. For a woman who'd rather stay and converse with him rather than go off and do her own thing was a great feat for Walter. Paige telling him she enjoyed talking with him was just one of many reasons why Paige was so special… why she was incredibly different than other women… why there were so many times he had wanted to tell her the things he couldn't say from the cliff. He couldn't even count the number of missed opportunities he had had, wanting to pull her aside and tell her everything. Oh, did he want her to know…, but he didn't know how to tell her.

But… he guessed now was as good of a time as any.

"So, uh," he pursed his lips and inhaled a deep breath, wanting to start their impending conversation off with something simple, "what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything you'd like," Paige shrugged with a laugh and mindlessly squeezed his hand.

Walter's quick chuckle faded. "That's a tall order."

"Okay," Paige rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile coloring her lips, "Let's talk about us."

"Us?"

"Us."

"O-okay," Walter really believed he had had a few more minutes to stall before segueing into the inevitable conversation that had been looming over their heads for several months, but Paige had always had a way of flipping his world upside-down when he least expected it in just a matter of seconds. He really shouldn't be too surprised, but the topic of choice wasn't something he was exactly excited about…. But… things needed to be said, and a decision had to be made. He just wasn't sure he was altogether ready to listen to something he didn't want to hear. There was a fifty-fifty chance she would want to remain as friends (which would be the most honorable decision despite how much the very thought made Walter squirm under his skin), but there was also the possibility of _both_ of them wanting more. And if that was the case, no matter how much he wanted to _be_ something more with Paige, he didn't know if having an established relationship was a smart decision. A lot of risk was involved. "W-what _about_ us?"

Paige looked towards Ralph, who was still inside the world of his game, and then shifted her entire focus onto Walter. She bit her lip. "I think you know." Walter wasn't really sure what to say and was grateful when she continued. "Here's the thing," she looked at their hands, "I like you, Walter. A lot. And, for a while now, I've had an inkling that…," she looked at him and paused under the intensity of his eyes, "you like me too."

Walter swallowed the lump in his throat and released the breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Your, uh, your intuition is _not_ wrong."

She slowly smiled and then glanced at her son again. "So… what now?" Walter cocked his brow, unsure if he understood her question properly. Paige took a moment to rephrase her question to something he would understand. She could go for a 'scientific-sounding' question, but she wasn't sure _she'd_ be able to phrase one properly without misusing Walter's terminology. "When I see you," she finally faced Walter again and pointed to Ralph, "and my son interact, it melts my heart. I know you and Ralph have a strong bond, Walter, and I treasure your relationship with him above everything else. I don't want _anything_ to jeopardize the way Ralph sees you; you're an incredible role model for him, and he looks up to you in every way. Ralph is my most important thing," she smiled, "and someone very wise once told me to always protect my most important thing. You understand?"

Walter nodded and mumbled, "You're worried a romantic entanglement between you and me may endanger my relationship with Ralph."

"Essentially, yes." Paige ran her hand through her hair.

A voice that sounded a lot like Toby shouted at Walter to take a damn risk, but he ignored the annoying voice inside his head and pressed his lips together. "So… to avoid that scenario altogether… the most logical solution would be for us to remain as coworkers and as friends…." Walter hated the way the words tasted in his mouth, but he was trying to make sense of whatever Paige was trying to tell him.

"Yes," Paige's voice trailed, "that _would_ be the most practical thing to do…."

"But…."

"But," Paige brought his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "It's not the solution I want."

Walter felt his heart pounding in his throat. "It isn't?"

She shook her head. "No. It isn't."

"What is, then?"

Paige smiled and hooked her arm around his, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. "This." She looked at him with daring eyes and then kissed his shoulder. "Us… You and me."

Walter didn't know what to say, and he wasn't entirely convinced that Paige knew what she was saying, either. As though she could read his thoughts, she casually touched his leg, bringing his attention back to her. "Hey," she brought her hand up from behind him and grazed her fingertips through his hair. "You trust me to know what's best for my son, yes?"

"Absolutely." Walter didn't hesitate. Paige always had Ralph's best interest at heart even if Walter didn't always agree with her decisions (like the boy going to school or meeting Drew many months ago).

"Good." Paige smiled ear to ear. "Because what's best for Ralph, in my opinion, and what's best for me, also in my opinion, aren't altogether mutually exclusive. We both want _you_ in our lives."

"But…," Walter inhaled a deep breath and looked away from Paige, "what if something goes wrong? There's risk involved."

"There's risk involved in everything, Walter," Paige laughed and cocked an eyebrow. "Since when does the Great Walter O'Brien back away from a challenge?"

She _did_ have a point.

"Besides," Paige muttered as she leaned dangerously close to him and hooked her arms around his neck, "weren't _you_ the one who once said that when _risks_ were involved, they occupied your entire brain?"

"I did… say that." Walter's breath hitched as she inched closer to him. Their proximity was almost unbearable, and he was tempted to solve things right then and there by doing what he had wanted to do for many, _many_ months, but he controlled himself for the sake of his dignity and sanity.

"So, _maybe_ ," Paige grinned wickedly as her voice hummed in his ears, "we should test _out_ that theory…."

Walter nearly lost his resolve and mumbled, "I… do… like experiments."

"I know you do," Paige uttered and leaned in to close the distance between them when –

"THE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN TEN MINUTES. PLEASE FIND YOUR SEATS AND REMEMBER TO SILENCE ALL MOBILE DEVICES."

Paige slumped away from Walter and sighed as he schematically ran his hand through his hair. "I guess Ralph and I should head back to our seats, yeah?"

"Yeah… That's probably a safe assessment." Walter nodded and closed his eyes. "I have to stay back here with my rocket so I'll meet up with you afterwards."

"Okay." Paige softly smiled and grabbed her bags. She couldn't believe she almost kissed Walter! (Actually, she _could_ believe it and was thoroughly disappointed that she couldn't deliver.) Paige needed a distraction and shot a look towards her son. "Come on, Ralph. We need to get going."

The boy scooted off of his chair but didn't put down the Nintendo 3DS. He mindlessly walked towards her with his nose still buried in his game. "Let me save my game really quick." Paige rolled her eyes. Same old, same old. "Done." Ralph said quietly and closed his Gameboy, dropping it back into his mother's purse. "Bye Walter," Ralph smiled at the flustered genius.

"Thanks, buddy." Walter grinned, giving the boy a high-five. "See you around, okay?"

"Yep." Ralph beamed and then raced to the door.

Paige waved goodbye and started to follow her son out when something forced her to stop. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms, kissing him passionately. She weaved her fingers through his hair, and he held her as close to him as possible. Their kisses were brief but fiery, punctuated with sweet nothings and breathy bids of good luck from Paige.

And when the woman remembered her son waiting in the hallway, she lightly pushed Walter away and whispered, "I've gotta go…"

"Okay," Walter pursed his lips to keep himself from doing anything he might regret later. He forced a smile, unhappy to see her leave. "I'll see you later, then."

"Yeah." Paige nodded slowly before sharing a brief kiss with him. "Later."

"Bye."

"Bye."

And then, without another word, she was gone.

 **~ SCORPION ~**

* * *

 **WriterFreak001:**

Guess what! One more chapter!


	3. Chapter 3

**WriterFreak001:**

What you've all been waiting for!

* * *

 **Title** | His Lucky Charm

 **Fandom** | _Scorpion_ (CBS)

 **Description** | It's finally time for Walter O'Brien to present his jet propulsion theory to the board of the Karman Line Prize, and for the first time in his life, he's nervous as hell. But somehow, after a short conversation with Ralph and a little pep talk from Paige (among other things), Walter regains his confidence before he steps onto the stage.

 **Rating** | This fanfiction will be rated T for romantic themes. Enough said.

 **POV** | Omniscient Third Person

 **Disclaimer** | While CBS owns _**Scorpion**_ , I am the owner of this masterpiece.

 **Claimer** | I am human; there are bound to be mistakes. If you feel like something _should_ be changed, you have the power to send me a review/private message. I can't guarantee if I'll change it every time, but I do read all of my reviews and all of my private messages!

* * *

 **His Lucky Charm**

 **Written by WriterFreak001**

 **Chapter 3**

 **~ SCORPION ~**

Walter lined up his rocket on the stage with the other models and proudly stood in front of it as the other participants filed in. He scanned the audience for Ralph and Paige and spotted them in the same seats they had while he was giving his demonstration and felt a strange amount of various feelings overwhelm him as they smiled and waved to him. Walter naturally acknowledged their gestures and grinned in return.

Finding Paige's coffee-brown eyes brought his mind back to the kiss they shared backstage. It was highly unexpected… probably inappropriate considering where they were… but _very_ welcoming. He couldn't really remember how it happened. One second, she was walking towards the door, and the next, she was in his arms, kissing him senselessly. He'd admit, the kiss had caught him by surprise at first, but in the small seconds it took for him to secure his arms around her and pull her infinitely closer to him, he found himself wanting more.

He had experienced nothing like it before… nothing so passionate… so pure… so… Paige. He was tempted to drop everything and take her back to the garage… to his loft…, but when she had pushed him away, she'd also pulled him out of his reverie.

He could replay that moment inside his head again and again, but the host's booming voice regained his attention, forcing him to look away from Paige and towards the podium.

"At this time," the host smiled and gestured to all of the contestants, "we will announce the winner of the Kármán Line Prize."

He gulped. After months of hard work, this was the moment he had been waiting for.

"And the winner is…"

 **~ SCORPION ~**

The moment the threesome returned to the garage from the ice cream parlor (as promised to Ralph), Walter left for the loft, Ralph went off to play Proton Arnold and Paige stood in the doorway, wondering what she could do to fix things. Ralph was upset because Walter was upset, and Paige wasn't feeling too great either because both her son and her potential boyfriend weren't happy at all. But who could blame them? They spent months working on the rocket and for what? Maybe Paige was a little biased, but Walter should have won the competition. Hands down, he should have won.

He should have won.

Paige strolled over to her son and wrapped her arms around him from behind him. "Hey, baby." Silence. "Hey, I know you're upset Walter didn't win, and I'm torn too; believe me, Walter _should_ have won, sweetie." She pulled him close to her and kissed the top of his head. "But… even though Walter didn't win," she paused when he stopped playing his game and just leaned against her, "it doesn't mean working on that rocket was for nothing. You two got to spend a lot of time together, you got to learn about constructing a rocket and the two of you got to present it together. All of those things should count for something, hmm?"

"…I guess…."

"You valued the time you shared with Walter while working on the rocket, yes?" Paige combed through his dark hair with her fingers and pulled him closer to her.

"Very much so." Ralph nodded with a small smile. "The time spent was efficient…, but fun and engaging."

Suddenly, the rest of the team walked in, bickering amongst themselves, but Paige ignored them. "You want to show Walter how special working on that rocket was?"

Ralph turned, his interest piqued. "Yes."

"Then why don't you ask Cabe if he could help you wheel Walter's rocket into the garage. It shouldn't sit in the car, and after I go talk to him, you should offer to continue helping him improve it… make additional changes, not just ones related to jet propulsion." Paige placed her hands on Ralph's shoulders. "How does that sound, honey?"

Ralph smiled. "I think Walter would like that."

Paige kissed her son's nose and matched his grin. "I think so too."

As Ralph scurried off towards Cabe, Paige started for the stairs, but she was stopped by Toby, Happy and Sylvester. "So," Toby was the first to speak, "seeing as Walt's not swimming around in doe, I'm gonna guess he didn't win the grand pri-"

Happy elbowed him. "Have a care."

"Have a heart!" Toby retorted as he massaged his ribs. "I was just making an observation!"

"Yeah, and if you notice, Walt's not here and Ralph and Paige aren't exactly celebrating anything either," Happy rolled her eyes, "Next time, try using your deductive reasoning a little more quietly, doc."

As the mechanic and the behaviorist started another infamous squabble, Sylvester, with hands clasped in front of him, stepped towards Paige. "How's Walter doing?"

"He'll be fine," Paige forced a smile and touched Sylvester's arm. "He just needs some time to cool off and process. I'm about to go up to the loft and check on him. Do you mind keeping an eye on Ralph?"

"Oh no, not at all." Sylvester smiled and pushed his glasses against his nose. "You do what you need to do."

"Thank you, Sly," Paige issued a small smile and left for the stairs again, leaving the band of misfits to their usual afternoon chaos as she went up to the loft to go check on Walter. She expected to find him furiously writing equation after equation on his whiteboard to release some of his frustrations, but he was just sitting on the couch, staring intensely at the floor. She didn't even think he noticed her when she sat down next to him. She gave him a few minutes of silence before hooking her arm around his and pressing her cheek on top of his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Walter's flat voice sent all the wrong kinds of shivers down her spine, but at least he answered. At least he wasn't down the rabbit hole like she half anticipated. He then surprised her by correcting himself with a softer tone. "I'll be okay."

Paige lightly kissed his shoulder and linked her fingers with his. "If it's any consolation to you, Walter," Paige's words turned him towards her, "you might not have won the competition today, but you _did_ win in my book."

"I don't understand." Walter blinked as he directed his attention to their conjoined hands. "Were you holding some sort of hidden competition?"

"No," Paige shook her head lightly and laughed, "No, but…," she brought his palm to her lips, "a lot of good things came from working on your rocket, Walter. A lot of _really_ good things." Paige caressed his cheek and smiled. "So you didn't win the money for your research for Megan's MS. There will be other opportunities, Walter. More opportunities to spend almost every afternoon with Ralph on another project… to develop something groundbreaking… to show the world what you're _really_ capable of…. What I _know_ you're capable of."

"Other opportunities like the Kármán Line Prize do not come as easily as you may think, Paige." Walter grumbled as he pushed away from her and raked his hand through his hair. "By the time the next opportunity rolls around, it could be too late."

"I understand you're frustrated, Walter, but wallowing in self-pity is not doing your sister any favors either." Paige hopped off of the couch and strolled over to Walter. With her arms crossed in front of her, she blocked him and added, "You want to help Megan, yes?"

"You know I do."

"Then show those judges what you're made of," Paige gripped Walter's shoulders and locked eyes with his. "Continue improving your rocket. Work on it until you feel that it's perfect and then present it to NASA. You don't _need_ a competition to share your revamped rocket to the world; you only need _one_ person. Also, use your network. You're friends with Richard Elia; I'm sure he'd be able to connect you with some people who'd like to see your rocket once it's perfected." Paige cupped his face and softly grinned, "And on the sidelines, continue working with Cabe Jr… or do something that would benefit your research for Megan. Whatever you do, just don't quit." She playfully smacked his cheek and winked, "Walter O'Brien is not a quitter."

As she withdrew her hands from him, his eyes popped open. "Quitter."

"Hm?"

He started mumbling to himself, saying words she didn't understand. She only recognized "jet propulsion," "blood flow" and "back-up generator". Everything else was completely incoherent. He slowly walked towards the stairs with his thumb and forefinger on his chin, lost in thought. Paige stared blankly at him as he circled back around, still babbling a bunch of scientific Greek to himself. "That's it!" his sudden exclamation made her jump. "Paige," he gripped her shoulders and smiled ear to ear, "You're a genius!" Without warning, he tugged her towards him and kissed her hard on the mouth. The kiss was very sloppy and super short (much to Paige's disappointment), but passionate enough for Walter to express his gratitude to her.

Before she knew it, he scrambled away from her, shouting a 'Thank you!' as he raced out of the loft and down the stairs, calling for Ralph to help him with something on the rocket. Paige, for many seconds, stood in the middle of Walter's loft, unsure of what had just happened. And she just shook her head, rolled her eyes and giggled quietly.

"What a goofball."

 **~ SCORPION ~**

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 **WriterFreak001:**

And there you have it! I hoped you enjoyed this short fic! :) I'll be working on the next chapter of _Poaching_ in the upcoming days so be on the lookout for it. :D


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